Jesse & Oslo Walk Shawl

It's a real summer now and I guess thanks to all my complaining about the cold June, July has been scorching!

However, I still managed to knit a pair of socks, one my boyfriend told me would be suited for a ski cabin, not our hot living room. The pattern is Jesse by Rachel Coopey from her book A Knitted Sock Society which I plan to knit through just like I did her other sock book, Coop Knit Socks. I used Rowan Fine Art which is beautiful and expensive and Colinette Jitterbug of which I had a half a skein bought at a bargain price.

I also finished a lace shawl I am very pleased with. The pattern is Oslo Walk Shawl by Susanna IC, published in Interweave Knits Winter 2010. I love that Interweave is always having some sale or other so you can get their patterns real cheap if you just keep your head up. And the fact that they have so much digital content (all the magazines and many patterns on their own) is really convenient for someone outside the U.S. The yarn I used is Manos del Uruguay Lace which I didn't like at all at first! It's 70 % alpaca, 25 %  silk and 5 % cashmere and the color is just lovely. However, when I tried to knit Swallowtail shawl with it, it broke into little pieces.All the nupps were just too much for this laceweight, I guess. Still, I'd paid good money for it so I refused to not use it. I used the Russian join (I don't like video instructions) to mend all the bits and pieces into usable yarn again. Luckily it worked beautifully and I was able to knit this great shawl in which the beautiful colors really work for their advantage. I love it through and through but I am still not buying any more of this yarn.

Marilinda & Pavilion

So I noticed I had completely not blogged about two pairs of socks I knit! What a catastrophe.

The first pair is Marilinda by Cookie A. I used a self-striping, Zitron Trekking (XXL). I am not usually in love with self-striping yarns but the colors in this one spoke to me. And I think they fit the pattern well, too, even if it really isn't written for stripey yarn. I had to shorten the leg by doing only 1 ½ repeats on the leg and not two as suggested in the pattern. I would have run out of yarn if I hadn't! And the Trekking skein is pretty generous, too, so I wonder if anyone has been able to get by with only 100 g if following the pattern to the letter. Anyway, here they are and pretty cute in my opinion :)

The other pair I've finished was a mystery pattern by Rachel Coopey, Pavilion. I only bought it after I had seen the finished socks, I just like my mystery revealed! The yarn I used for these was Schoeller+stahl Fortissima socka mit bambou and I just have to say I was impressed! The yarn has 60% wool, 25 % bamboo and 15% nylon and I think it must have been the bamboo that did the trick. The socks feature many twisted stitches that I find often fuzz up the yarn so that the result is not quite perfect. But not with this yarn! All the stitches remain crisp and beautiful, I am so happy! But also a little sad for not buying any more, as I got this yarn in a store I'll be unlikely to visit ever again :( At least I'll have these beautiful socks to enjoy!